1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for use as a CG (Computer Graphics) processing apparatus for rotating and moving an object in a three-dimensional coordinate space on the display screen of a display monitor in order to express, easily and realistically, a light sphere and bright light appearing therearound easily and realistically, a recording medium storing a program for such an image processing process, and such a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
is Conventional CG processing apparatus have failed to express, easily and realistically, a light sphere and bright light (flare) that appears around the light sphere.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus for performing an image processing process of expressing, easily and realistically, a light sphere and bright light (flare) that appears around the light sphere, a recording medium storing a program for such an image processing process, and such a program.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus comprising plural disk generating means for generating a plurality of disks, each comprising a substantially circular central portion and a substantially ring-shaped portion disposed around the substantially circular central portion and having a brightness lower than the substantially circular central portion, at different angles in a three-dimensional space with respective centers thereof disposed closely to each other, rotation imparting means for imparting rotation to the disks to rotate about the centers thereof at an origin, and rendering means for rendering and storing the disks which are rotated in storing means.
Since the disks whose brightness is lower in the substantially ring-shaped portion than in the substantially circular central portion and which are rotated are rendered, the substantially circular central portion appears as a light sphere with light appearing therearound, and the brightness of the light can easily and realistically be expressed. The disks may be rotated at the same speed, but should preferably be rotated at different speeds. The centers of the disks may be aligned with each other.
A fluctuation imparting means may impart fluctuation to the disks whose brightness is lower in the substantially ring-shaped portion than in the substantially circular central portion and which are rotated, so that an image of the light sphere which emits bright light can be fluctuated. The fluctuation imparted to the disks may be a circular motion, an elliptical motion, or the like.
The rendering means may comprise means for adding a rendered image of a new frame and a rendered image of a preceding image semitransparently and rendering and storing a sum image as a rendered image of a present frame in the storing means. In this manner, the boundaries of the disks may be blurred.
The rendering means may comprise means for placing a polygon onto which a texture of a lens flare is mapped between a viewpoint and the disks, and rendering and storing the polygon and the disks in the storing means. The bright light from the light sphere may thus be displayed more realistically.
The plural disk generating means may comprise means for generating each of the disks by mapping a single texture image onto an object or combining a plurality of triangular polygons as the substantially circular central portion and a plurality of triangular polygons as the substantially ring-shaped portion.
The substantially circular central portion of each of the disks has a brightness gradually lower from the center radially outwardly toward the substantially ring-shaped portion, and the substantially ring-shaped portion has a brightness gradually lower from an inner peripheral edge thereof toward an outer peripheral edge thereof. Therefore, the light sphere and the bright light therefrom may be displayed more realistically.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there are provided a recording medium which stores a program, and a program itself. The program comprises the steps of generating a plurality of disks, each comprising a substantially circular central portion and a substantially ring-shaped portion disposed around the substantially circular central portion and having a brightness lower than the substantially circular central portion, at different angles in a three-dimensional space with respective centers thereof disposed closely to each other, imparting rotation to the disks to rotate about the centers thereof at an origin, and rendering the disks which are rotated.
With the above program, because the disks whose brightness is lower in the substantially ring-shaped portion than in the substantially circular central portion and which are rotated are rendered, the substantially circular central portion appears as a light sphere with light appearing therearound, and the brightness of the light can easily and realistically be expressed. The disks may be rotated at the. same speed, but should preferably be rotated at different speeds.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there are also provided a recording medium which stores a program, and a program itself. The program comprises the steps of generating a plurality of disks, each comprising a substantially circular central portion and a substantially ring-shaped portion disposed around the substantially circular central portion and having a brightness lower than the substantially circular central portion, at different angles in a three-dimensional space with respective centers thereof disposed closely to each other, imparting rotation to the disks to rotate about the centers thereof at an origin, imparting fluctuation to the disks which are rotated, and rendering the disks which are rotated and fluctuated.
With the above program, an image of the light sphere which emits bright light can be fluctuated by the fluctuating means.
The above step of rendering the disks comprises the step of adding a rendered image of a new frame and a rendered image of a preceding image in semitransparently and rendering a sum image as a rendered image of a present frame. In this manner, the boundaries of the disks may be blurred.
The step of rendering the disks may comprise the step of placing a polygon onto which a texture of a lens flare is mapped between a viewpoint and the disks, and rendering the polygon and the disks. The bright light from the light sphere may thus be displayed more realistically.
The step of generating a plurality of disks may comprise the step of generating each of the disks by mapping a single texture image onto an object or combining a plurality of triangular polygons as the substantially circular central portion and a plurality of triangular polygons as the substantially ring-shaped portion.
With the above program, the substantially circular central portion of each of the disks may have a brightness gradually lower from the center radially outwardly toward the substantially ring-shaped portion, and the substantially ring-shaped portion has a brightness gradually lower from an inner peripheral edge thereof toward an outer peripheral edge thereof. Therefore, the light sphere and the bright light therefrom may be displayed more realistically.